10 QUICK METHOD FOR DETERMINING MOISTURE IN GRAIN. 



been removed the water will have ceased dropping from the con- 

 denser, and the number of cubic centimeters of water contained in 

 the graduated cylinder beneath the condenser tube can be ascertained. 

 This is the water actually removed from the corn and represents the 

 percentage of moisture originally in the sample, each cubic centimeter 

 of Avater representing 1 per cent when a 100-gram sample is used. 

 By the use of this method, together with the special apparatus 

 described in this bulletin, a person familiar with laboratory work 

 and an assistant should be able to make at least 200 moisture deter- 

 minations in a day of eight hours. 



PREPARATION OF SAMPLES FOR MOISTURE DETERMINATION. 



TAKING THE BULK SA:\IPLE. 



Care in drawing the bulk sample from the car, cargo, conveyer, 

 etc.. is of the utmost importance and can not be too strongly empha- 

 sized, for unless this part of the work is properly done the true per- 

 (entage of moisture in the grain can not be determined. 



The samples should be taken in such a way as .to represent as 

 nearly as possible the condition of the entire lot of grain under con- 

 sideration, and in this respect the method herein described does not 

 ditfer from anj^ other system of inspection. The number of samples 

 to be drawn from different parts of the bulk will depend upon the 

 quantity and quality of the grain to be past upon. The larger sam- 

 ples so draAvn may be analyzed separately or they may be mixt 

 together to form one composite sample representing the entire bulk 

 and the smaller samples for the individual moisture determinations 

 taken from this mixture, as the conditions mav warrant. If the 

 bulk of corn being examined is of uniform quality, a moisture 

 determination of the composite sample Avill suffice: but if the bulk 

 lacks uniformity, and particularly if of a low grade, the samples 

 taken from different parts of the grain under consideration or at 

 different times during the "' running " should be analyzed separately. 

 At the same time the amount of grain represented by each sample 

 should be estimated. But whatever samples are intended for mois- 

 ture determination must be put at once into a suitable air-tight con- 

 tainer in order to prevent any drying of the grain on being exposed 

 to the air; otherwise the amount of moisture actually present can 

 not be accurately determined. This precaution is particularly im- 

 portant in the case of samples draAvn from any bulk lot of grain 

 which has begun to sweat. 



TAKING THE SAMPLE FOR THE ZSIOISTURE TEST. 



The accuracy of any method of determining moisture depends 

 primarily on the small sample used for the test being thoroly repre- 



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